SURGICAL STAGING FOR EPITHELIAL OVARIAN-TUMORS OF LOW MALIGNANT POTENTIAL

From january 1975 to December 1991, 34 patients with a diagnosis of ep ithelial ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (LMP) were admitted to the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan. Eighteen of them (group 1) underwent complete staging laparotomy and retroperitoneal para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy, as for ovarian cancer. In the remaining 1 6 cases (group 2), the surgical treatment ranged from unilateral oopho rectomy to incomplete staging procedure. In group 1, nine patients (50 %) were found to have retroperitoneal nodal involvement. In group 2, a ll patients had stage I disease. Patients were followed up for 20-222 months (mean 108, median 86). There were two recurrences in group 2 (a fter 5 years) and none in group 1 (NS). Currently all patients are ali ve and disease free. Nine of 18 group 1 patients were upstaged to stag e III on the basis of lymph node involvement only. However, at least i n this retrospective series, lymph node metastases did not affect prog nosis or survival.